--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life's existential tasks have lost the…" description: "\"“Life's existential tasks have lost the interest of reality; illusion cannot build a sanctuary for the divine growth of inwardness which ripens to deci..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f25/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_life_life-s-existential-tasks-have-lost-the-i_1630036.jpg" --- # Life's existential tasks have lost the interest of… ![“Life's existential tasks have lost the interest of reality; illusion cannot build a sanctuary for the divine growth of inwardness which ripens to decisions. One man is curious about another, every one is undecided, and their way of escape is to say that some one must come who will do…” quote by Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f25/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_life_life-s-existential-tasks-have-lost-the-i_1630036.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f25/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_life_life-s-existential-tasks-have-lost-the-i_1630036.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f25/s-ren-kierkegaard-1686_life_life-s-existential-tasks-have-lost-the-i_1630036.jpg) > ““Life's existential tasks have lost the interest of reality; illusion cannot build a sanctuary for the divine growth of inwardness which ripens to decisions. One man is curious about another, every one is undecided, and their way of escape is to say that some one must come who will do something--and then they will bet on him.”” [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human beings often lose touch with authentic inner growth, seeking external saviors instead of confronting personal uncertainty. **In simple terms:** People avoid inner work, hoping others will solve their doubts. Key Takeaway Embrace personal responsibility for growth. Themes existentialism self‑discovery responsibility Mood contemplative serious Type philosophical existential When to use this quote - personal crisis - therapy - spiritual seeking - leadership development Key Concepts authenticity faith decision‑making Questions to Reflect On - What inner fears are you projecting onto others? - How can you cultivate inner sanctuary without external saviors? A Different Perspective Relying on others can delay self‑realization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Existential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existential/) [Existential Tasks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existential-tasks-474689/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Existential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-existential-474688/) [Reality Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-illusion/) ## Related quotes > [My understanding of life is very existential. I think that we are our bodies. 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Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [My soul is connected to the energy that created the universe when I die I shall go back to the source of my existence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/my-soul-is-connected-to-the-energy-that-created-the-universe-when-i/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [If we have no other reality beyond the illusion, you too must not count overmuch on your reality as you feel it today, since,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-pirandello/if-we-have-no-other-reality-beyond-the-illusion-you-too-must-not/) [Luigi Pirandello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-pirandello/) > [Every human being relies on and is bounded by his knowledge and experience to live. This is what we call reality . However, knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-human-being-relies-on-and-is-bounded-by-his-knowledge-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“From birth, nature has designed us to approach the world as a whole, and when we slice experience up into bits and pieces, wholeness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolph-e-tanzi/from-birth-nature-has-designed-us-to-approach-the-world-as-a-whole/) [Rudolph E. Tanzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolph-e-tanzi/) > [We must remember that we do not observe nature as it actually exists, but nature exposed to our methods of perception. The theories determine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/we-must-remember-that-we-do-not-observe-nature-as-it-actually-exists/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Oneness with God is not a dream, it is the only reality. Everything else is an illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-yen-a-gardner/oneness-with-god-is-not-a-dream-it-is-the-only-reality-everything/) [E'yen A. Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-yen-a-gardner/) > [“With every increase in the degree of consciousness, and in proportion to that increase, the intensity of despair increases: the more consciousness the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/with-every-increase-in-the-degree-of-consciousness-and-in-proportion/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“Time is an illusion. Sensations are an illusion. Reality, for the most part, is an illusion. The illusion is, perhaps, the most concrete and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-branco/time-is-an-illusion-sensations-are-an-illusion-reality-for-the-most/) [Augusto Branco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-branco/) > [“The imagination is not a faculty for the creation of illusion; it is the faculty by which alone man apprehends reality. The ‘illusion’ turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-clarke-goddard/the-imagination-is-not-a-faculty-for-the-creation-of-illusion-it-is/) [Harold Clarke Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-clarke-goddard/) > [“How disquieting to realise that reality is an illusion, at best a democratisation of perception based on participant consensus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/how-disquieting-to-realise-that-reality-is-an-illusion-at-best-a/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [Every human being relies on and is bounded by his knowledge and experience to live. This is what we call “reality”. However, knowledge and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masashi-kishimoto/every-human-being-relies-on-and-is-bounded-by-his-knowledge-and-2/) [Masashi Kishimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masashi-kishimoto/) > [In order to survive, we cling to all we know and understand. And label it reality. But knowledge and understanding are ambiguous. That reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masashi-kishimoto/in-order-to-survive-we-cling-to-all-we-know-and-understand-and-label/) [Masashi Kishimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masashi-kishimoto/) ## More by Søren Kierkegaard > [“At vove er at miste fodfæstet et kort øjeblik - ikke at vove er at miste sig selv.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/at-vove-er-at-miste-fodf-stet-et-kort-jeblik-ikke-at-vove-er-at-miste/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“Who tricked me into this whole thing and leaves me standing here? Who am I? How did I get into the world? Why was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/who-tricked-me-into-this-whole-thing-and-leaves-me-standing-here-who/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“No woman in maternity confinement can have stranger and more impatient wishes than I have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/no-woman-in-maternity-confinement-can-have-stranger-and-more/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“If a man had a little button sewn on the inner pocket of his coat 'on principle' his otherwise unimportant and quite serviceable action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/if-a-man-had-a-little-button-sewn-on-the-inner-pocket-of-his-coat-on/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“I stick my finger in existence — it smells of nothing. Where am I? Who am I? How came I here? What is this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/i-stick-my-finger-in-existence-it-smells-of-nothing-where-am-i-who-am/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“A human being is spirit. But what is spirit? Spirit is the self. But what is the self? The self is a relation that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/a-human-being-is-spirit-but-what-is-spirit-spirit-is-the-self-but/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“I am poor—you are my riches; dark—you are my light; I own nothing, need nothing. And how could I own anything? After all, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/i-am-poor-you-are-my-riches-dark-you-are-my-light-i-own-nothing-need/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“Intohimo ei merkitse sanoja.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/intohimo-ei-merkitse-sanoja/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“But there is a concerned guide, a knowing one, who attracts the attention of the wanderer, who calls out to him that he should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/but-there-is-a-concerned-guide-a-knowing-one-who-attracts-the/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“There is something frightful in the fact that the most dangerous thing of all, playing at Christianity, is never included in the list of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/there-is-something-frightful-in-the-fact-that-the-most-dangerous/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“Yet in another and still more definite sense despair is the sickness unto death. It is indeed very far from being true that, literally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/yet-in-another-and-still-more-definite-sense-despair-is-the-sickness/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“Sitting calmly on a ship in fair weather is not a metaphor for having faith; but when the ship has sprung a leak, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/sitting-calmly-on-a-ship-in-fair-weather-is-not-a-metaphor-for-having/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“Not merely in the realm of commerce but in the world of ideas as well our age is organizing a regular clearance sale. Everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/not-merely-in-the-realm-of-commerce-but-in-the-world-of-ideas-as-well/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“In love with myself, that is what people say I am. It doesn’t surprise me, for how could they notice that I can love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/in-love-with-myself-that-is-what-people-say-i-am-it-doesn-t-surprise/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“Battle day and night against the guile of oblivion...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/battle-day-and-night-against-the-guile-of-oblivion/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) [Explore all 184 Søren Kierkegaard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) ## More Existential quotes > [When we watch a play under the standard circumstances, we've lost volition and time is passing. A still play feels like an existential threat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-greenberg/when-we-watch-a-play-under-the-standard-circumstances-we-ve-lost/) [Richard Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-greenberg/) > [Sometimes it has to do with other longings that are much more existential. Sometimes you go elsewhere not because you are not liking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/sometimes-it-has-to-do-with-other-longings-that-are-much-more/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it's probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/i-think-we-should-be-very-careful-about-artificial-intelligence-if-i/) [Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/) > [The argument that won the Brexit campaign is the one that said take back control... which is another way of saying we want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-timmermans/the-argument-that-won-the-brexit-campaign-is-the-one-that-said-take/) [Frans Timmermans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-timmermans/) > [“When it has finished saying it, it no longer is. The longer it is in saying it, the more it can say it at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ponge/when-it-has-finished-saying-it-it-no-longer-is-the-longer-it-is-in/) [Francis Ponge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ponge/) > [We have an existential crisis, which is the climate crisis. Canada is one of the laggards in the industrialized world. Our record is terrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-may/we-have-an-existential-crisis-which-is-the-climate-crisis-canada-is/) [Elizabeth May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-may/) > [Did television execs have souls? Now, that was an existential question and a half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/did-television-execs-have-souls-now-that-was-an-existential-question/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [“So am I dead? How many kinds of living and dead and living dead and dead living had I been in just these few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-frances-turner/so-am-i-dead-how-many-kinds-of-living-and-dead-and-living-dead-and/) [Joan Frances Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-frances-turner/) > [I can negate everything of that part of me that lives on vague nostalgias, except this desire for unity, this longing to solve, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-can-negate-everything-of-that-part-of-me-that-lives-on-vague/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I write very rarely. Only, in fact, when the sheet of paper suffers an existential crisis and threatens, if I don't surrender to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-dimoula/i-write-very-rarely-only-in-fact-when-the-sheet-of-paper-suffers-an/) [Kiki Dimoula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-dimoula/) > [Michael Jackson is an extremely productive ethnographer, a serious reader of phenomenological and existential philosophy, and a remarkable writer at a level that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-kleinman/michael-jackson-is-an-extremely-productive-ethnographer-a-serious/) [Arthur Kleinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-kleinman/) > [If I had to choose between the two ways of approaching the deity, I should prefer the existential relational way, to the abstract philosophical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-cross/if-i-had-to-choose-between-the-two-ways-of-approaching-the-deity-i/) [Frank Moore Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-cross/) > [Huge public spending and borrowing in the face of an existential crisis is clearly the right thing to do, as is putting people's health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lucas/huge-public-spending-and-borrowing-in-the-face-of-an-existential/) [Caroline Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lucas/) > [The ability to forget the past enables people to free themselves gradually from the pain they once suffered; but it also often makes them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lu-xun/the-ability-to-forget-the-past-enables-people-to-free-themselves/) [Lu Xun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lu-xun/) [Browse all 616 Existential quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existential/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Life's existential tasks have lost the interest of reality; illusion cannot build a sanctuary for the divine growth of inwardness which ripens to decisions. 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